


Until Death Do We Part

by mythicait



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Police, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Angst, Blood, Character Death, Cruelty, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Mind Control, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Violence, more body control but whatevs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-09-01 14:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20259247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicait/pseuds/mythicait
Summary: Aelin Galathynius has worked her way up the ranks and she is now a detective for Orynth PD’s Magical Abuse & Crime Division. She loves her job and especially her partner in both work and romance, Rowan Whitethorn. But her life gets thrown into chaos when old memories surface to torment her and a mysterious killer tears his way through her city. Worse yet is that she can’t seem to find him, let alone stop him - but finding him might not be her problem for much longer because he’s determined to bring death and destruction straight to her doorstep.





	1. Chapter 1

All she needed was a pair of socks. Apparently, all of hers were in the laundry or at her mostly unused apartment because she couldn’t find any in her drawer. So Aelin did the logical thing and started digging through her boyfriend’s drawer, hopelessly searching for a pair that might fit.

She didn’t expect to find a godsdamned ring.

It was beautiful – quite possibly the most beautiful thing Aelin had ever laid eyes on. Delicate silver bands threaded with tiny diamonds furled out in the shape of a kingsflame flower, spreading out from the most stunning emerald centerpiece. But the ring blurred and Aelin covered her mouth with a shaking hand to halt the cry that was trying to force its way out.

In the second she took to actually breathe, she realized that the shower wasn’t running anymore. Cursing, she tucked the ring back into the corner of the drawer –  _ really, Rowan, your sock drawer? _ – and managed to slam it shut just as the knob on the bathroom door turned. Unreasonably out of breath, she whirled to face her boyfriend with the most innocent face she could muster. Thankfully, he made it a little easier on her; she was always willing to be distracted when all he was wearing was a towel.

Leaning back against the dresser, Aelin’s smile was genuine this time as Rowan lazily walked over until he was standing mere inches in front of her. Hard as it was, she kept her eyes on his face, so she could see the spark in his pine green eyes that let her know that he knew exactly where her mind was.

“Something I can help you with, Ro?” Aelin stretched, arching her back so her shirt just barely brushed his skin and her lips were inches away from his.

Rowan leaned in until his lips almost met her own before sliding them over her cheek to her ear. “I just needed to grab my clothes.” Reaching behind her, he opened one of his drawers, forcing her body forward until she was pressed along every inch of him.

He did an admirable job of staying focused on his clothes until she licked up his neck to bite his ear.

“How late can we go into work today?”

* * *

Coffee, croissants, and an excuse about traffic saved them the worst of their lecture for being tardy, but the sergeant still wasn’t very happy with them. They were almost an hour late by the time they sat down at their desks with their new case files.

“If this is another stupid ‘reckless magical use’ case, I will be blaming you the next time we’re late.”

Rowan threw her a crooked grin before they dove into the paperwork they still had to process from yesterday. Mornings were the best time to do their filing since most of the precinct gathered for the early hours before going out to solve crimes and catch criminals.

Being a cop was in Aelin’s blood – her father and uncle had both dedicated themselves to Terrasen, keeping the peace and keeping its citizens safe. Aelin had grown up idolizing them, had wanted to be just like them and the first thing she did when she graduated high school was enroll at the police academy. She had been days away from graduating when a con they had put away found and murdered them alongside her mother. Aelin had thrown herself into her work, ignoring the whispers and the condolences as she barreled her way through her initial years on the force.

She would have made detective even faster had she not been branded a troublemaker for her temper and her inability to accept the status quo. But she did eventually make it, and she had been assigned as a partner to one Detective Rowan Whitethorn. A  _ bona fide _ legend in Orynth PD, Whitethorn had closed more cases than anyone else and she was repeatedly told how lucky she was that his old partner got a promotion when he did.

As it turned out, Rowan claims he got the better end of the deal. He got the spitfire newbie who had powerful fire magic and a closing rate that would one day rival his. So not only was she literally smoking hot, she was also intelligent and compassionate and the best thing he could have hoped for. It wasn’t too long before the partners became best friends and then lovers, though they did have to keep that last piece under wraps since that was frowned upon by the higher-ups.

She had friends that she adored, a boyfriend she loved, and a job that she wanted to do for the rest of her life. So Aelin was happy with her life.

Or she was until this morning.

The image of that jaw dropping ring kept forcing itself to the forefront of her mind as she sorted through witness testimonies and suspect alibis. She snuck glances at the silver haired fae sitting across from her until Sergeant Darrow slapped a file on her desk.

“Sir?”

“In my office, now. You too, Whitethorn.”

Aelin shot a confused look at her partner behind the sarg’s back, but they filed into his office as told. Darrow was uncharacteristically silent as they waited, dark rings under his eyes and his normally stern expression bordering on exhaustion.

Finally, he drew in a deep breath and opened the file he had not yet let go of.

“We have a potential serial killer on our hands.” Aelin and Rowan were immediately at attention and she reached out to snatch the file Darrow passed over. “Six victims of pretty violent assaults, apparently perpetrated by their loved ones.”

“Apparently?”

Darrow nodded wearily at Rowan. “That’s why we’ve got the case now. In each of the cases, a sibling, parent, or spouse was caught practically red-handed and all forensic evidence points towards their guilt. However, each claims that they were…possessed at the time. Their stories are similar enough to raise some red flags and we’re thinking this might be the result of some sort of magic that can control the actions of others.”

Aelin looked up from the file with a furrowed brow. “They saw shadows moving around them and then they weren’t able to move?”

“Some of them claim they could hear voices in their head, taunting them as their limbs moved without their permission.” Darrow threw his glasses on his desk and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, looking for all the world like he thought that would solve all his problems. “We have all of them in holding. Not one of them has tried denying the allegations and none even put up a fight when we brought them in.”

Rowan’s eyes held the same confusion and trepidation she felt, but Aelin closed the file and rose to her feet. “We’re on it. Anything else we need to know before we wade in?”

The older man met her stare head on, with none of the old hostility that used to simmer between them and with some of the fondness she remembered from her childhood. “Solve this, Aelin.”

* * *

The case was just as weird as it started. Rowan and Aelin interviewed each of the “murderers” and got the same eerie results that had been documented in the file. One man stabbed his wife in their kitchen while making dinner, a woman had drowned her ten-year-old sister during a walk by a lake, another man ran over his husband with his pickup, and a woman electrocuted her elderly mother in the bathtub.

But the worst was the child.

Sitting in the cold metal interrogation room was a little girl about six years old. She was flanked by a sweaty lawyer who looked fresh out of law school and a woman who Aelin was informed was the girl’s aunt.

This was the perpetrator of the most recent case, blood still speckling her lilac dress from stabbing both of her parents to death that morning.

Seemingly unperturbed by neither her situation nor her surroundings, the little raven-haired girl swung her legs back and forth while she hummed a little tune. Better with children and women of any age, Rowan took the lead. Aelin propped herself up against the two-way mirror while Rowan pulled out one of the chairs and leaned down so he was level with the girl’s face.

“Hello, my name is Rowan. What’s yours?”

Big violet eyes stared up at him and a shiver walked its way across the back of his neck. Several moments passed before the girl deigned to answer.

“Maeve.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Maeve. Can you tell us what happened this morning?”

Rowan kept his attention on the little girl who answered all of his questions quietly, without a trace of emotion in her sweet voice. Keeping one ear on their conversation, Aelin studied the other two people in the room.

The lawyer was new to her, dressed well enough to be part of a bigger firm, and nervous around children. Not the best pick for this particular case, she thought, but they might replace him when he complains to his superiors. Sitting as far away from Maeve as possible while still being on the same side of the table, was her aunt – Aelin checked the file – Mora. Stiff as a corpse, the woman hadn’t taken her eyes off her niece for an instant. Half-lidded and cold, she studied the little girl while Aelin studied her. 

She was chewing the inside of her lip and her hand trembled when she brushed her hair behind her ear.  _ She’s afraid of her.  _

No sooner had the thought crossed Aelin’s mind when Mora’s eyes snapped to meet hers. An eerily familiar green and frightened, so frightened. Aelin’s head cocked to the side, trying to figure out who she was afraid of - the demon who took over her niece or the little girl herself?

* * *

“Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing.” 

Rowan practically threw his keys on his desk before dragging his seat out and dropping into it with a heavy sigh. He dragged a hand through his hair while he watched Aelin pace the length of their corner of the room. 

Two weeks had passed and they didn’t have any leads on their mysterious puppeteer. There had been three more murders, all following what was quickly becoming an old pattern, and they hadn’t been able to predict or stop a single one. They had been given resources and manpower, everything that would normally help but nothing did. The feds were breathing down their necks, waiting for one misstep or for one murder in another jurisdiction so they could swoop in and take over. 

Aelin usually got somewhat attached to their cases, it’s part of what made her a good detective. But there was something about this killer, this manipulating  _ demon _ , that got her hackles up. She had thrown herself into this case, using it to forget about-

“I need to get out of here.” 

Snatching his keys, Aelin stomped out of the precinct with Rowan hot on her heels. He didn’t say a word as she got in the driver’s seat of his car. She was quiet the whole way to their favorite bar, fingers clenching the wheel like it was a life raft. 

Unsurprisingly, she made a beeline for the dartboard. While Rowan grabbed the drinks, she terrified the pants off the teenage boys trying to impress her with their sub-par aim. Her face was blank while she threw bullseye after bullseye into the red and black target and she barely paused in her rhythm to grab her beer out of his hand and chug half of it. 

Rowan cocked one eyebrow. “It’s a good thing we’re off duty now, huh?” 

When he didn’t even get a grunt from her, he decided taunting her out of her bad mood might be the best plan. Either that or she might actually tell him what’s going on.

“So I’ve been thinking that we should bring the feds in on this one. You know, give them what we’ve got and let them find this guy.” Her jaw tightened and he watched her next shot go slightly too far to the left. “They’ve got a more complete database than us, so it would probably be a hell of a lot easier for them to figure out who he is.” A low growl from her and he went in for the kill. “Since this case is apparently too much for you to handle-”

“Shut the fuck up, Rowan. It’s not just this damned case that-” 

Aelin bit her words off, furious at herself and her loose tongue and him and his annoyingly effective interrogation tactics. She was frozen in place and she almost flinched when his deep, purring voice sounded close to her ear. 

“And what else could be bothering you?” She hated the fact that he used the same voice to coax her secrets out as he used when he had his head between her legs. It was far too confusing.

“Other than the asshole who can apparently control people and is using them to kill the people they love? Do I need anything else to be bothered?”

“You didn’t answer my question, fireheart.” 

Aelin glared up at him, fiery blue and gold eyes hiding none of the anger and pain she was feeling in that moment. It was about time she talked to him; he’d been feeling her hesitation build over the last few days and weeks. She never hid, not from him. He wouldn’t let her. 

Strong hands came up to frame her face and he leaned his forehead against hers. “Come on, fireheart, tell me what’s going on.”

“Rowan-”

Loud cheers from the direction of the giant flat screen interrupted her and she pulled away from Rowan. Without looking at him, she muttered, “Not here.” 

Aelin was already stalking toward the door as Rowan threw some money down before following her. He didn’t think she was pissed enough to actually leave him there but better safe than sorry.

Silence wasn’t usually a tactic Aelin used. Usually she raged or taunted or left to blow off steam. Sometimes she would use silence to force a confession out of someone else but generally if she decided to say something, she either said it or prattled until she was ready to say it. Rowan wracked his brain but he couldn’t think of anything he had done or she had said that hinted at what she was upset about. 

He was slightly surprised when she pulled up at his apartment instead of hers, but he followed her up the stairs quietly. He followed her into the bedroom and was about to say something when she pulled open his sock drawer and his stomach dropped. 

He took a step towards her but stopped when she backed away. 

“Aelin-”

“How were you planning on doing it?”

Her voice was monotone and he couldn’t tell what she was feeling but he knew what she was asking. “I was going to make you dinner after we solved our next case. Buy you one of those elaborate chocolate desserts from that bakery you love. Tell you that I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you and that I want to be with you to whatever end. Hopefully get you to cry so that I could tell Fenrys I won our bet.” 

Aelin laughed but Rowan caught a glint of silver as a tear did slide down her face. 

This time, she didn’t back away when he stepped close to her. He reached up and swiped his thumb across her cheekbone. “This isn’t how I had planned to make you cry though.” He tilted her face until she couldn’t look anywhere but at him. “Please tell me what’s going on, sweetheart. I won’t know how to help unless you talk to me.” 

Aelin felt another tear escape before she could stop it and she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the love and trust he had in her. 

“I haven’t...I haven’t told you everything, Rowan.” 

“So tell me now.”

Her heart felt like it was breaking, but he deserved to know. He already knew everything else about her. 

“His name was Sam.”

Aelin didn’t know if she was relieved or irritated when the dark notes of the Imperial March played, cutting her off before she’d really even begun. 

Darrow only called lately when there was another murder. 

They let it ring for a minute before Rowan retrieved her phone from her back pocket and pressed it into her hand. “Answer it, love. We can talk later.”

After Darrow gave them the address and the barest details, Aelin hung up. She glanced up at Rowan, still only inches away from her with his eyes trained on hers. Gently, he brushed the lingering dampness from her cheeks before kissing her softly. 

“We  _ will  _ talk later.” 

And they left behind her demons to find the one they were stalking. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aelin Galathynius has worked her way up the ranks and she is now a detective for Orynth PD’s Magical Abuse & Crime Division. She loves her job and especially her partner in both work and romance, Rowan Whitethorn. But her life gets thrown into chaos when old memories surface to torment her and a mysterious killer tears his way through her city. Worse yet is that she can’t seem to find him, let alone stop him - but finding him might not be her problem for much longer because he’s determined to bring death and destruction straight to her doorstep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags have been updated so please take a look at them for a couple trigger warnings for blood, violence, and ptsd! 
> 
> This one is a little shorter but I hope you like it!

Aelin felt a tap on her head and she grunted at whoever was stupid enough to bother her right now.

When the tap came again, she lifted her head to glare at- Rowan. With coffee. “Okay, not as stupid as I thought.” 

Rowan gave her a very clear look that said  _ No one is that stupid _ . He settled into his chair with a sigh before going through their file again. 

He’d been mostly normal while they worked the crime scene. Well, as normal as you can get when you’re examining a mutilated body and trying not to listen to the murderer scream their lungs out twenty feet away. She would occasionally catch him studying her, but for the most part, he treated her like he always did. 

And now they were back at the station, typing up their reports and following leads. Or they would be if Aelin had any motivation or if they had any leads. 

“Dead end after dead end. He doesn’t seem to be at any crime scene that we can tell, the victims appear to be random, they can’t remember anyone approaching them or anything strange in the days leading up to their possession.” The woman’s screams from earlier were still echoing in Aelin’s head, dredging up memories that were far better left in the past.

Sighing, Aelin went to work. When the shouting started, she looked over to see several officers dragging the latest victim to one of the interrogation rooms. She almost escaped them too, kicking and screaming as she tried to run away. 

Black eyes caught and held Aelin’s and the woman’s cry held so much pain that she dropped right into the memory she had been fighting all day.

* * *

_ White lace scratched against Aelin’s skin and she couldn’t wait to get out of her dress. _

_ The thought of her husband taking it off of her made her even more impatient. A happy grin spread across her face and she felt better than she had in a year. A long, long year of mourning her parents and uncle, of struggling to find her place on a police force that suddenly seemed hostile and unforgiving, of trying to find any reason not to curl up on her mother’s grave and cry for the rest of time.  _

_ Sam had been her saving grace. Always there for her, always supportive and aggravating and pushing her to look forward. She would have been lost without him.  _

_ And he was finally _ hers.  _ Legally, forever hers. Aelin paused in the deserted hallway, alone for the first time all day, and lifted her hand. Rubies and diamonds adorned her ring finger but she could barely see the design anymore as her eyes clouded and she sagged against the wall. _

_ “I wish you were here, mom. I wish you could have walked me down the aisle, dad. Gods, I want you here so badly.” Letting the tears stream down her face, Aelin gave herself this moment to mourn. The rest of the night was for her and Sam but she needed this moment to remember what she had lost. _

Shoulders back and head high, Fireheart.  _ Rhoe’s words echoed through her head and she obeyed her father, pushing off the wall and wiping her face dry. Aelin thought of her fiance- her husband and strode towards their room, lighter and happier for having felt her father with her for even a second.  _

_ “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long, my love-”  _

_ A scream tore through the room and it took Aelin several seconds to realize it was hers. Red covered the room, splattered on the walls and soaking into the sheets. Aelin had seen blood, had covered crime scenes worse than this, but Sam. Sam.  _

_ Her training fell away and Aelin rushed toward the bed, toward the body laying far too still atop it. She climbed onto it, ripping her skirts when they got in the way and blind to the blood soaking the white fabric.  _

_ “Sam?” It was his beautiful brown eyes, his perfect features, but wrong so wrong. Cuts marred his skin, shallow and deep alike, slashed across his cheek and his arms and his stomach and his neck. Like a windstorm of knives had sliced him up and spit him out, violent and cruel and full of rage. Aelin’s breath caught at the sight of dark blood still pulsing at his throat and her eyes met his as he struggled to speak. “Sam. Sam, please don’t talk. Please, sweetheart, stay with me.” Aelin put shaking hands on his neck, trying to staunch the bleeding without hurting him more, drawing hard on her tiny drop of healing power. _

_ And wishing more than anything in the world that she could throw away every lick of flame she had for just enough power to heal him. _

_ “Don’t leave me, Sam. Please, _ please,  _ don’t leave me.” _

_ She felt her healing catch and soothe something but she couldn’t tell if it had helped at all until his ragged breathing became a whisper. _

_ “Aelin, I-I’m sorry…” _

_ Blinking until she could see him again, Aelin shook her head violently. “No. No. You’re never sorry. Don’t say that to me. If you’re sorry, then stay with me.” _

_ A smile tugged at the corners of his lacerated lips and Aelin felt his fingers brush against her cheek. She choked on another sob as he murmured, “I told you I’d always be...here.” He ignored her protests and shifted against her, moving closer to her with all the strength he had left. “My fault. Not yours. I would spend...eternity with you if I could…” _

_ Sam whispered something else but she couldn’t hear him anymore. His voice faded as his eyes grew dark and Aelin cried out and leaned down to press her lips to his, trying to give him the air he needed. She prayed to every god she could name to save him, to trade her life for his, to let her keep just this one person.  _

_ It wasn’t long until he wasn’t breathing anymore. Aelin felt his soul leave his body and she shattered around the shell of him.  _

_ They found her minutes later, screaming like her skin was on fire and clinging to the body of the man she had wanted her happily ever after with. And no trace of whoever had murdered him. _

* * *

Silence pressed in on Aelin and she blinked to find her world had snapped back into place.

No longer on her marriage bed but gasping for air as she watched the beat cops escort a sedated woman away. A bolt of pain arched through her and she realized her hand was at her throat and her nails were digging in hard enough to draw blood. 

She looked down and her hands were drenched in blood, spreading and dripping until she could feel it flooding her senses, choking her and trapping her in place. 

“Aelin!”

Another blink and the red was only under her fingernails. Rowan’s hands were on her shoulders and he was kneeling in front of her, blocking everything else from view. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were slightly wide. He’d never seen her like this. She hadn’t had a panic attack this bad in years. 

Reaching up to brush his thumb lightly against her cheek, Rowan stayed silent, still conscious of the fact that they’re in the middle of the precinct. But he needed to know that she’s okay.

The bright green of his eyes centered Aelin. She grabbed hold of that lifeline and gulped in lungfuls of air as she recited the litany she hadn’t used in a long time.  _ Evalin, Rhoe, Orlon, Sam. Evalin, Rhoe, Orlon, Sam.  _

_ Evalin, Rhoe, Orlon, Sam, Rowan- _

Green eyes flash brown for a split second and Aelin flinched away from the man before her. 

“I have to go.” Aelin stood on unsteady legs and grabbed her keys, pushing past a confused Rowan. When he went to grab her shoulder, she jerked away from him, whispering low and harsh, “Alone, Rowan. I need some time alone.” 

And he lets her go, like he always does when she asks for space. Normally, she’d rage and let off steam for a bit but this time she felt cold and lonely and the walls were closing in on her. She managed to make it to the stairwell before freaking out. Sliding down the concrete wall, Aelin buried her face in her hands, but she didn’t cry. She  _ wouldn’t  _ cry here. 

She didn’t know how long she stayed there, but she eventually picked herself up off the floor. Making her way down to the first floor, Aelin pushed her way through the crowd of officers changing shifts. It was pure luck that she heard her least favorite recruit. 

“-and this fucking kid looks up at me with these puppy dog eyes that he thinks are going to get his ass off the line and not thrown straight in prison with the rest of his useless friends. Looks at me and goes, ‘Please, sir, please help me! It wasn’t me, I swear, there was something controlling me!’ Like he thought we would buy that fucking line.” 

The men gathered around him laugh like he’s made a witty joke but Aelin zeroed in on what he mockingly quoted. 

Pissed off and in no mood to beat around the bush, Aelin strode up to the group. She shoved her way to the recruit’s side, ignoring the looks she got from the men now surrounding her. 

“Who were you talking about?” she demanded. 

A sly smile spread across Officer Rogers’ face when he realized he had information the high and mighty Aelin Galathynius wanted. “You’re going to have to be more specific, princess.”

It took pretty much all of her admittedly low self-control, but Aelin held herself back from punching that smirk off his face. 

“Officer Rogers, you will tell me who you booked for that story you were telling just now. You will tell me what happened, where this kid is now, and you will hand your case file over to me.” Her voice brooked no argument, but that didn’t even slow him down.

“Stooping down to our level now, Galathynius? I thought you were better than taking on petty theft cases. But if you want to slum a bit, I can show you the ropes-”

Enough. Fucking enough. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, Aelin twisted, choking him with the collar and pushing him until his back hit the wall. She felt a hand grab her shoulder but before they could pull her back, she grabbed a pinky and twisted it back, forcing the unknown officer off and back without even acknowledging him. No one else tried to interfere. 

Silence reigned but this time Aelin was in control. She waited until his face started to turn purple before she leaned in, her words tight and quiet enough that only he could hear her. 

“We all know you’re a slimy little weasel, Cairn, clawing for power however you can. So you’re not allowed to deny knowledge of the serial killer I’m working on. You’ve probably snuck your way onto each of the crimes scenes, pretending to be the hero who captures the big bad guy.” Cairn is gasping for breath, murky blue eyes wide and pleading. Aelin loosened her grip just slightly, letting him gasp a quick breath in. “Imagine my shock when it turns out you actually do have a lead on my case.”

Cairn choked again as he finally connected the dots between his case and hers. Cocking an eyebrow, Aelin nodded encouragingly at him. “There you go. I knew there had to be some sort of brain in there. Now. If you don’t tell me everything I want to know about this case, I will turn you in to Internal Affairs for those happy pills you like to keep in your desk.” 

Finally letting him go, Aelin backed off a step and wiped her hand on her pants. She  _ hated  _ touching him. Cairn had been reprimanded for his behavior towards the women in his squad far too often for Aelin to be anywhere near comfortable around him. 

That said, intimidating him might be able to save her fellow women a little harassment for a while. Hopefully. So she stalked behind him as he scampered to his desk. Not close enough to trip him up, but almost. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck and she hid her smile. 

He handed over the case file without a word.

“Thank you for helping me out, Cairn. I’ll make sure to put in a good word for you.” Aelin turned to leave but paused right when he let out a relieved sigh. She gave him the smile that Rowan called her Cheshire grin, devilish and cruel. “But you should know, Cairn. If I ever hear of you mocking another victim or putting so much as a toe out of line, I will bring down every ounce of wrath on you that I can.” Aelin let her eyes light up with her fire as she heated her body enough that he could feel the invisible flames rolling off of her. 

He was shaking and very clearly about to wet himself, but she could still see a trace of that defiant hatred in his eyes. Which was fine. She was going to report him anyway.

But first Aelin had a partner to go see about a lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be at least four, maybe five, chapters...my original estimate of three was too short apparently. 
> 
> Feel free to come yell at me on tumblr @myfeyrelady!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aelin Galathynius has worked her way up the ranks and she is now a detective for Orynth PD’s Magical Abuse & Crime Division. She loves her job and especially her partner in both work and romance, Rowan Whitethorn. But her life gets thrown into chaos when old memories surface to torment her and a mysterious killer tears his way through her city. Worse yet is that she can’t seem to find him, let alone stop him - but finding him might not be her problem for much longer because he’s determined to bring death and destruction straight to her doorstep.

Rowan wasn’t at his desk when Aelin went back upstairs. 

She looked around the common area but didn’t spy him. Not in Darrow’s office, not in the break room, not in the bathroom. 

_ Oh. _ Aelin squeezed her eyes shut and smacked herself in the forehead. _ You idiot. _

Sighing, Aelin steeled herself and ducked into one of the back hallways. The building was older than dirt and countless rooms went unused so there were a good amount of areas that no one visited. The COs tried to keep people from sneaking smoke breaks so they kept a close eye out but Aelin and Rowan had long ago figured out where the best spots were.

She found him there, sitting with his back against the wall of a small room that boasted only an old desk. She’d tease him by saying this was their office. Rowan wasn’t particularly proud of how much time they’d spent in this room, but he’d fucked her enough in it that he had to agree with her. 

“Ro?” Her voice was soft but he still flinched, his eyes darting up to meet hers. The hurt in them ripped at her heart. 

Throwing her file on the desk, Aelin flung herself into Rowan’s arms.

He wasn’t expecting it, so he grunted as he caught her. Aelin’s knees scraped on the concrete floor and her head collided with his but Rowan’s arms tightened and she settled against him. They stayed like that for several minutes, breathing each other in and pressed as close to each other as they could while still wearing clothes. 

Finally, Aelin lifted her head from where she had buried it against his neck. Her hands cradled his face and he turned his head just a little so that he could kiss first one palm then the other. Leaning in to press her forehead against his, Aelin whispered, “I am so sorry, my love. I fucked up, but I _ never _meant to hurt you. Please believe that.” 

Rowan’s hand wrapped around the back of her neck, drawing her into a slow, deep kiss. He explored her mouth until she arched against him, whimpering even as her tears flavored their kiss. 

Pulling back, Rowan brushed her tears away. “I love you, Aelin. That will never change. But you need to talk to me.” 

“I will. I promise, I will. Just...give me a little more time?” 

He was reluctant, but Rowan nodded. Their lips met again before Aelin melted into him, cuddling into his arms despite the pain she still felt beating inside of her with every breath.

“What did you find, fireheart?”

Aelin huffed. She should have known Rowan would realize she hadn’t found him just to not tell him anything again. “I ran into Officer Asshole on my way out. Bragging about a kid he had booked for theft. Apparently, the kid was claiming that it wasn’t his fault and that he was being controlled.”

Rowan tensed against her. Using an impressive amount of strength, he stood without letting her go. He kept his arms around her until he deposited her on the desk and grabbed the file she had brought.

“Same exact description. Shadows flitted across his vision and he wasn’t in control anymore. He watched himself walk into the store and steal the merchandise but he couldn’t stop himself.” Looking to Aelin, one of his eyebrows rose in question. “So our unsub is downgrading to theft? Did murder start to bore him?”

“As much as I hate saying this, I think Cairn might have a point. Very few officers would believe a suspect who claimed they were being controlled during their crimes. It’s a traditional insanity plea and a lot of them wouldn’t have even recorded it. For all we know, our guy has been doing this for just as long as he’s been murdering. Probably longer.”

“Which means we’re going to have to scour every single report from the last year at least. Fuck.”

Aelin smiled weakly at him. “Sorry?”

He rolled his eyes but he caught her hand and tugged her off the desk and toward the door. 

“Better get to work then.”

**********************************

They ended up recruiting a bunch of junior officers to help them, of course. There were far too many files to sort through alone. 

A week later, they had a stack of about twenty cases that matched their unsub’s MO.

Keeping the others on the search for more, Aelin and Rowan dissected each report. They pulled out the big whiteboard and decorated it in hopes of finding some kind of pattern. Witnesses were re-interviewed and they spoke to the cops in charge of each case. They tracked and traced every single piece of evidence but they still couldn’t find any common thread tying them all together.

Every day they spent on the search and every night they stumbled home to Rowan’s apartment exhausted. They fell into bed and slept pressed against each other until their alarm beckoned in the early morning. 

And still, Aelin didn’t talk to him.

Everything was as normal as it got for them during a tough case but underneath it all was a quiet tension. Aelin was pushing it off until after they solved the case, but every day that passed made it clearer that this might be the case they never solve. And she knew he had something to ask her when this was all over, too.

The only way she kept it all from crushing her was by throwing herself into the case. She worked longer and longer hours, practically started a coffee IV, and generally spent every waking minute trying to find a clue as to who their unsub was. Rowan stuck by her the entire time. He didn’t pressure her to talk, just helped her with the case and dragged her away when she needed sleep or food. 

Slowly, their records went back years and years. The earliest case they could find was from fifteen years earlier. 

Exhaustion tugged at the edge of her vision and Aelin shook her head again to clear the cobwebs out. It was only - she checked the clock - fuck, four am. Rowan had gone for a nap on the break room couch over two hours ago. 

I’ll finish reading this report then I’ll wake him up and take him home for a full eight hours rest, I promise. 

Aelin returned her eyes to the report from a case dating back eleven years. She snorted; she’d barely been out of high school eleven years ago. Her parents had only been gone…

_ Perpetrator claims the voice in his head stated that it would make him disembowel his family before slitting their throats and painting his face with their blood. _

Papers scattered as Aelin dropped the file onto her desk. 

No. Not possible. Not this, not now, not them.

Aelin shoved her chair back and ran to the records room. This late, no one was in there so she didn’t have a witness to the way she slammed drawer after drawer closed until she found the file she wanted. 

It wasn’t thick, but it was old. Eleven years, eight months, and three days old to be exact. 

Unlike her last file, Aelin set this one down carefully. She took a deep breath and opened the file, flipping past the crime scene photos until she found the arrest record for the perp. Scanning until she found his statement, Aelin let out a pained cry. 

There it was. In stone cold black and white.

_ Suspect claimed that, though he did hold a grudge against O. Galathynius and R. Galathynius, he did not leave parole with the intent to see, injure, or otherwise harm them. Suspect claims that he was at mandated community service in Perranth, Terrasen, when shadows swarmed around him and he lost consciousness. His next memory is of standing over the bodies of the three aforementioned victims with their blood on his hands and face. _

_ Speculation suggests a traumatic break during which the suspect had a psychotic episode and murdered the foci of his rage. _

**********************************

Rowan jolted awake to a burst of light. Shielding his face, he groaned and checked his watch. Far later than he had planned on waking up, but still early enough that not many people would be around yet. His main concern was that Aelin had promised that she would go home and sleep last night and she obviously hadn’t.

Striding out of the breakroom, Rowan worked himself into a nice little snit, as Aelin would call it. “Aelin, I swear, if you pulled another all nighter-”

“I have a lead.”

His steps stuttered to a halt. Shock filled him first - he had almost lost hope that they would find him this decade. But it was her tone that made him take stock.

Aelin was cleaned up. She’d taken a shower in the locker room, tied up her hair, and had a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. She looked better than she had in days. But her voice told another story. It was as dead as the look in her eyes when she finally faced him, like all the light had guttered and faded from her.

“What lead?”

Mute, she handed him a file, already opened to a testimony. He scanned through, finding the usual piece about the shadows before…

Slowly, he set the file down. “Why wasn’t this file included initially?”

“We told the officers to look for petty crimes that fit the description. We weren’t looking at murders that far back because we assumed that if there had been some, the pattern would have been recognized sooner.”

“Aelin-”

“I never looked, Rowan.” He knew what she meant but she kept going. “I never looked at their file. They locked him up, it was an open-and-shut case. I knew he had tried to plead insanity but I didn’t know-”

Rowan couldn’t take it any longer. He tugged Aelin into his arms, holding her tight enough that he knew he was probably hurting her. 

A sob tore from her throat and Aelin collapsed against him. “Why didn’t I look, Rowan? W-why didn’t I _ know? _ It’s been sitting in a room ten f-feet away from me for _ years _and I could have-”

His heart was breaking with the woman in his arms and he rocked her gently. “Shh, fireheart. You couldn’t have known. It’s not your fault, Aelin, it’s not your fault.”

Aelin pulled back and the guilt in her eyes suffocated him. “Rowan, you don’t understand. They were the anomaly, the thing that didn’t fit the pattern. But I figured it out.” She left his arms and paced to their map. “Fifteen years ago, the thefts started here” - she pointed to a section near Perranth - “and then m-my parents were murdered. He took their killer from Perranth to Orynth, Rowan. Exactly the same time when these crimes moved from Perranth to Orynth and he escalated from theft to assault.

“He was testing himself, Rowan.” Her voice broke on his name and he reached out but she slipped away from his hand. “The thefts were a test to see how well he could control people. They lost their memories more often back then; he _ wants _them to see what they’re doing, that’s why they can all remember it now. And when he figured his powers out, that’s when he went after his real target. My parents and my uncle. I-I don’t know why yet. I think he used Vernon because he knew the courts wouldn’t look any further but…”

Aelin hesitated for the first time in her theorizing and Rowan’s blood ran cold. If nothing else in that horrifying trail made her hesitate, what could be so bad that she was hesitating now?

“Fireheart, tell me.”

Her voice came out as a whisper so soft he had to lean closer to hear her.

“He’s following me.”

Any warmth left in Rowan’s eyes leached out and Aelin shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Reaching up, he cupped her face in his hands. She clung to the promise in his eyes and touch. _ I won’t let anything happen to you. _ But all he said aloud was “Show me.” 

Keeping one hand wrapped in his shirt, Aelin pointed at the map. “I was here when I first got out of the academy. Then here when I got transferred for being insubordinate. Here when I got promoted, and...here when I transferred to the MACD.” Each spot she pointed to was surrounded by pins, changing color to mirror the passing of years as she moved along her own timeline. The trail ended surrounding their precinct, when he had escalated to serial kills. 

“It’s me, Ro. I’m the link. He murdered my parents and now he’s taunting me.”

Rowan twined his fingers with hers but he couldn’t refute a single thing she’d said. This was the first thing that made sense about this case.

“Rowan?”

“Yeah, Aelin?”

“I think I’m ready to talk now.”

Rowan’s gaze snapped to hers before he shook his head firmly. “No. Don’t you dare worry about that right now. We have enough going on with this, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not going anywhere.”

She smiled at him, the first smile he had seen on her in days, even if it was small and sad. “I love you, Rowan. Thank you for that, but I do need to talk to you about this. Because I think our unsub killed Sam, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the pain, but feel free to come yell at me on tumblr @myfeyrelady!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aelin Galathynius has worked her way up the ranks and she is now a detective for Orynth PD’s Magical Abuse & Crime Division. She loves her job and especially her partner in both work and romance, Rowan Whitethorn. But her life gets thrown into chaos when old memories surface to torment her and a mysterious killer tears his way through her city. Worse yet is that she can’t seem to find him, let alone stop him - but finding him might not be her problem for much longer because he’s determined to bring death and destruction straight to her doorstep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is part four, my doves! This is pretty damn fluffy so be prepared for chapter five when I finish it.

“I think our unsub killed Sam, too.”

Not a moment after the words left her mouth did the door slam open, making both of them jump. Nox and Fenrys came in bearing coffee and laughter but when they saw Rowan and Aelin, they veered away. Thankfully, good friends knew how to recognize tension. And thanks to this case, things had been plenty tense lately.

Aelin sighed and reached out to tug on Rowan’s sleeve. “Come on, we can talk about it at home. I think I owe you a good night’s sleep. Or a good day’s sleep at least.”

*********************

She didn’t talk until they were in his apartment and Rowan didn’t pressure her. Gods, she had lucked out with this one. He knew when to push and when to stay quiet and when she needed to be held and she never wanted to lose that. Never wanted to lose him.

But with what she knew now… She wouldn’t blame him if he left her.

Aelin settled down onto the couch, curling up with her arms wrapped around her knees. She hadn’t realized she’d been staring off into space until Rowan held a glass of water in front of her face. Flashing a weak but grateful smile, she took it and gulped down about half the contents.

Probably knowing that she would break down if he touched her right now, Rowan settled into the chair sitting next to the couch.

“His name was Sam?”

It had been so long since she had said his name, since she had faced these memories. But it was time.

“Sam Cortland. And he was my husband.” Rowan’s eyes widened but he stayed silent, waiting for her to push forward. “I grew up with Sam. He was my best friend and we were inseparable for years. Our senior year of high school, we finally started dating. He asked me to prom in front of the whole school.”

For the first time since he had died, Aelin let herself laugh at the memory of him standing on the bleachers with a microphone. He had always claimed that she was the dramatic one but there he was. The dull ache in her heart was still there but it had faded over the years. The man in front of her had much to do with that healing, even if he hadn’t known it.

Before she began again, she reached out to twine her fingers with Rowan’s. “When my parents were murdered, he was there for me. Sam took care of me, made sure I ate and slept and studied. He was my rock, my solid ground. When he proposed, I was happier than I had been in a long time.”

Aelin took a steadying breath, tightening her grip and finally meeting Rowan’s gaze. His bright green eyes were warm with love and pain and they gave her the strength to go on.

“We got married when we were twenty. I was- I was on my way from the reception to our room. Sam had told me to sneak away so we could start our wedding night early. When I got there, he w-was… he was already dying.”

Rowan handed her the glass again and she took a moment to drink and wipe the tears that had fallen. When she set the water down, she pulled his hand up to her lips. He was warm and whole and here. She needed to know that Rowan was okay as she told this tale.

“They mutilated him. Somehow, in the span of half an hour, they had broken in and sliced him up so badly that I barely recognized him. He died in my arms, telling me that it was his fault, not mine.” Aelin’s voice broke on the last word and Rowan had had enough. Leaning over, he lifted her and pulled her onto his lap. Collapsing into his arms, Aelin let herself cry over her lost love for the first time in years.

Rocking her and murmuring comfort in the Old Language, Rowan held her for a long time. When her sobs subsided and she grew quiet once again, Rowan finally spoke.

“You think the person who murdered him is the person who killed your parents and our victims?” His voice was low and soft, urging her forward even as he comforted her.

“The more I think about it, yes, I do.”

“I’m so sorry, love, but you know I have to ask. Are you sure you’re not making this connection to find closure over Sam’s death?”

Surprising both of them, Aelin laughed. Her eyes were red but clear when she looked at Rowan and she felt a bone-deep relief now that she had told him this part of herself.

“I’m sure, Rowan. Now that I know what we’re looking for, I can see some of the signs. I never saw my parents’ bodies or knew exactly how they died until I read their file. They were cut up the same way as Sam. And the killer came in and killed _only_ Sam - he didn’t go for anyone else, didn’t steal anything. Sam was his target and he didn’t have any enemies; but I did, apparently.” Just as quickly as they had cleared, her eyes filled again and her vision blurred. “That’s why he said it wasn’t my fault, Rowan. He knew that his d-death was aimed at me. That it really _was_ my fault he died.”

“Fireheart, no it’s not.” Rowan’s voice was hard and he cupped her face and made her look at him. “The only person at fault is whoever has been killing people. It’s not your fault and it wasn’t Sam’s either.”

“But it was my fault!” Wrenching away from him, Aelin stood and paced across the room. “Don’t you get it, Rowan? He died because he married me! Marrying me made him a target and this bastard _tortured_ him on our wedding night.”

Aelin strode into his bedroom and grabbed the little box from where it had sat on top of his dresser for weeks. Coming back into the living room, she almost ran into Rowan since he had started following her into the room. He caught her shoulders to steady her but he drew in a sharp breath when he saw what she held.

“Aelin-”

“I can’t marry you, Rowan. I can’t - I _won’t_ \- watch what happened to Sam happen to you. I love you with every broken piece of my heart and I would die if something happened to you. So my answer is no.”

Slowly, Rowan set down the jewelry box on the table near them. When he turned back around, Aelin was trembling.

Sighing, he moved closer before pulling her into his arms. Aelin stiffened against him for a moment but he waited until she relaxed and threw her arms around him. She clung to the fabric of his shirt and cursed the tears that flowed once again.

She’d been afraid he would walk out on her when she told him no. But she should have known better. Rowan never left her, even when she probably deserved it. Still, she needed him to talk about this.

“Why aren’t you mad at me for turning you down, Ro?”

He could barely hear her, muffled as her voice was by his shirt. Stroking her hair, Rowan bent to press his lips to the top of her head. “Fireheart, I can’t blame you for how you feel about marriage after what happened with Sam. Especially not if it’s the same bastard we’re hunting right now. You know what I can do?”

Aelin sniffled and burrowed her head deeper into the crook of his neck. “What?”

“I can love you and be with you for the rest of my days, whether or not we get married. I don’t need to legalize my vows to make them to you.” Before Aelin had time to fully process what he said, Rowan swept her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

Letting out a surprised squeak, Aelin held on. “Rowan, what are you-”

Setting her down onto the bed gently, Rowan knelt in front of her on the floor. He twined his fingers with hers and looked up at her with pure adoration. Aelin’s heart skipped a beat at the soft smile he wore.

“Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, do you love me?”

“You know I do, Rowan, but-”

“I will love you, Aelin, until the end of this world. Until the stars fall from the sky and time ceases to exist. I will love you to whatever end we have, whether you marry me or not. I am yours for as long as you want me, fireheart.”

Aelin released his hands to shove lightly on his chest. “That’s not fair, asshole.”

“It’s true though.” Rowan’s grin was crooked and he hooked one of his hands behind her neck to pull her down for a long, deep kiss. Aelin tugged him up until he covered her body with his own and it was a long while until they spoke again.

Laying half on top of Rowan, Aelin played with his hair. Softly, she said, “If we catch him, I’ll marry you.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to come yell at me on tumblr @myfeyrelady! I will be working on chapter five this weekend!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty. So. Here’s chapter five my dears, the final installment. I love you. It’s been an emotional fucking night so I’m sorry for this. 
> 
> TW for mind/body control, gore, major character death

Once they had realized that Aelin was the unsub’s true target, they were able to narrow down the field of focus to the area surrounding their precinct. It made it easier to track the recent rise in crime - which spanned all the way from theft to assault to murder.

They definitely did not tell Sargent Darrow about Aelin’s connection to the unsub. Not only would he take them off the case, he would technically have to be taken off the case as well, since he had been her uncle’s lover before he had been murdered.

So on they continued. They looked at every felon her father and uncle had ever put away, every tiny connection they might have to the victims, and especially anyone currently in her life.

Finally, their hard work paid off when Aelin dug into the Internal Affairs records.

Apparently her father had helped bust a gang of crooked cops and officials. They were part of an organization called the Valg and there had been four he had put away total. Three brothers - Orcus, Mantyx, and Erawan Malor - and Orcus’ wife, Maeve. Orcus had been a politician and Maeve had been a lawyer for his organization. The other two brothers had both been cops, in varying levels of the force.

Erawan had worked with her father and he was the reason they had been busted. Rhoe Galathynius had caught them on several charges and dug up enough evidence with his brother to put them in prison for a long time.

But it was the throwaway comment on their powers that caught Aelin’s attention. In one of the reports, Erawan was mentioned to have used his powers to calm and control one of their cons. One would think the government would keep better records of their employees’ powers but this had been several decades ago so the records were not very well maintained.

Armed with their best suspect group so far, Aelin and Rowan delved into their files. As the evidence piled up, both became more and more convinced that one or more of them were their unsub.

When they looked to see where they were now, they ran into a couple dead ends - literally. Orcus and Mantyx had both been killed in prison. One during a prison riot and one looked like he had been assassinated. Ironically, the suspected mastermind behind that was the third brother, Erawan. But he was another dead end since he had been locked up tight in solitary since then. Ten years’ worth of solitary.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks anyway, Nesryn.” Sighing, Aelin hung up, only to stare balefully at her phone.

“What’d she say?” Rowan pushed back from his own stack of paperwork and crossed his arms, all his attention focused on his partner.

Nesryn Khagan was a good friend of Aelin’s, one who also happened to be a high ranking officer in the same sector as the Morath Prison Facility where Erawan was being held. They had called her to confirm his presence and have her interrogate him in their place.

“He’s there and he’s firmly locked away. He hasn’t had any contact in or outside the prison walls other than the guards. Gods bless Nesryn, she even looked at the guards to see if any of them are crooked.”

Scraping her hands over her face, Aelin sighed again. It was a noise of bone-deep exhaustion. Neither of them had gotten any good sleep lately and she was constantly on edge expecting their mysterious villain to break in and do to her or Rowan what he had done to her parents and Sam.

Glancing around the precinct, Rowan caught her hand on the far side of their desks. Squeezing tight, he said, “Aelin, we’ve still got one more.”

“I know, we still need to look at Maeve. But there’s nothing in her file on her powers and we’ve hit a brick wall on these other three and I just…” She gripped his hand tighter before dropping it as one of the other detectives walked by.

“I’m losing hope, Rowan. And I didn’t have much to begin with.”

“Hey.” His voice was sharp and Aelin looked up to meet his bright green eyes, hard with determination. “We _will_ find whoever this is. And they will go to prison for the rest of their fucking lives.”

Aelin summoned a weak smile. “Yes, sir. So. Let’s look up our shark, shall we?”

Rowan pulled up Maeve Malor’s file and flipped right to the sentencing. Meanwhile, Aelin checked public records in case there was any trace of her outside of prison.

As it turned out, Maeve had only been sentenced for eight years in prison. She claimed innocence from her husband’s crimes and the circumstantial evidence could only pin her down for that much. Rowan’s search found that she had only served five years, getting out early on good behavior.

Maeve had been released long before their unsub had begun committing crimes. Which fit into their timeline perfectly, since she would have been practicing her magic in the meantime. When Aelin pulled her work and living records, her movements mirrored that of her own and their unsub’s.

Several hours later, Rowan and Aelin had cleared their desks of everything except Maeve’s records. Her history, her current movements, everything they needed to corner her. They didn’t reach out to her yet - that had to be a surprise if they didn’t want her to bolt. And she certainly had the resources to do so; she had gained back a decent chunk of the Malor finances and she had still managed to land a swanky job at a local firm that pulled in plenty of money.

Aelin was breathless when they finished putting it all together. “It’s her, Rowan. It was all her. The locations and the motivation, it all fits!”

He looked at her solemnly and it took her a moment to catch on. “I agree with you, fireheart. But we won’t be able to convince Darrow and the others. Nothing in her profile suggests any tendency towards violence; she’s been on the straight and narrow since she got out of prison and even before that, she was always on the legal side of their criminal business.”

“So we can’t sanction a full raid or even take any backup when we go arrest her.” Aelin’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion though Rowan could see the rage flicker in her eyes.

Giving her a curt nod, he said, “We’ll be cautious and we’ll be ready for her. Hopefully she’ll be cocky and she’ll attack us - that way we can take her in with no complaints from the brass.”

Rowan expected her to jump up and go after her now, but Aelin surprised him - though he didn’t know why. She was always more clever and mature than she first came off as.

“We’ll go home and rest tonight. We can strategize and then sleep, and in the morning, she’s ours.”

“You’ll be able to sleep tonight?” Rowan cracked his first smile of the day, albeit a wry one.

He got her to laugh though, and he would have suffered a thousand years to see the hope and happiness she shone with now. Winking at him, she said, “I’ll just break out my secret stash of sleeping pills.”

“You have a secret stash of drugs at my apartment?”

“I might share if you ask nicely.”

***

Aelin jolted awake in the middle of the night to the sound of laughter.

It was a miracle she was awake at all thanks to the sleeping pill she had taken before bed. The drug still pulled at the edges of her consciousness, slowing her down and confusing the images she was seeing.

Disoriented and unsure what was going on, Aelin grabbed for the nightstand on her side of the bed. As she found her gun, she realized that Rowan was not beside her.

Trying not to make any noise, she slipped from the bed, but her legs were shaky and she cursed under her breath as she heard the laughter stop. Eerie silence filled the room and apartment until-

“Oh, Aelin darling! Please join us.” Shivers broke out along Aelin’s skin at the singsong voice and she dug the nails of her free hand into her thigh hard enough to draw blood.

This was no dream.

Which meant her nightmares were coming true and her past had come back to haunt her.

Swallowing, Aelin tried to brace herself for what she knew she might find - Rowan’s body, covered in blood and lying at the feet of a woman who wanted _her._ She shifted her stance and raised her gun, moving quickly to kick the bedroom door open the rest of the way.

Aelin almost cried out when she saw Rowan alive and whole. He was backed up against the far wall with his hands on his head and black talons of sparkling magic held up to his throat. Standing only a couple feet away from him was a woman even more beautiful and cruel than her pictures suggested.

Maeve Malor.

Taking in the scope of room in the barest of seconds, Aelin trained her gun on Maeve’s head. With her system weakened from the pill she had taken, her arms were already tired, but she put everything she had into keeping them steady and aimed at her target.

“Let him go.”

A slow smile overtook Maeve’s crimson painted lips. “We both know I could kill him faster than you could pull that trigger, darling.” Her voice contradicted the harsh words, soft and coy and Aelin ached to shoot her. But she was right and Aelin knew it.

“He wouldn’t be the first of your lovers that I’ve shredded either.”

A choked scream filled the room as flames burst around Aelin’s form. Heat suffused the room but she made no move to send that fire towards Maeve. It was her. Aelin had suspected, had wanted it to be her - but to _know._ She needed to hear it. Her voice was broken when she said, “You killed Sam.”

That dark laughter filled the room again. “Aelin, I have killed _everyone_ you have ever loved. Torn them apart and left them for you to find like the presents they were intended to be.”

Aelin’s vision clouded as her eyes stung with the memories of those she had lost to this demon. She let the tears fall, used their power to clear away the blurriness running through her veins and strengthen her voice.

“Why? I understand why you went after my father and uncle, but why- why me?” As she spoke, she stepped further into the room, angling closer to Rowan. Rowan, who’s eyes were focused only on her. She met them for only a moment, long enough for his love to burn into her and to catch his message. _Distract her._

Oblivious, Maeve answered, “It’s not going to make you feel any better, darling girl. Are you sure you want to know?”

“Just tell me.”

“It’s not because of my husband or his brothers, if that’s what you think. To be honest, I was practically ecstatic that they got thrown into prison. Your family and the glorious justice system did me a favor there - and I made sure they didn’t have any chance to escape.” A sly, satisfied smile spread across her face and Aelin made the connection.

“You arranged for Orcus and Mantyx to be killed. And Erawan’s solitary?”

“That was all me and it was one of the greatest pleasures of my life to rid myself of them. They were the bane of my existence and I needed them gone.” Deep, black eyes that would haunt Aelin to the grave slid down the length of her body and back up. “You, on the other hand, were entirely for fun.”

Aelin felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. “Fun?”

“During his witness statement, your father said something that struck me. He was trying to appeal to the humanity of the jury and he said, ‘I have a little girl and I want her to grow up in the kind of world where people like _this_ are not allowed to hurt others for their own benefit.’”

Her voice curled with the disgust Aelin could only imagine her father had spoken with. Heart breaking at the story that was unfolding before her, Aelin let instinct and training guide her to the opposite side of Maeve than Rowan. She was facing Aelin, her entire attention focused on tormenting her, with only her magic chaining Rowan to his spot.

“I don’t care that he locked my husband up. But he sent _me_ away for five godsforsaken years of my life. So I decided then and there that his little girl would grow up to a world filled with nothing but pain and loss and regret.” Venom dripped from every word and her voice transformed into a snarl.

On her last word, the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees - and it wasn’t because of her.

Rowan’s wind sliced through the claw of magic holding him and wrapped around Maeve’s throat. Releasing a choked scream, Maeve held her hands up and pushed outward with her power.

The bullet that Aelin let fly ricocheted into the wall and her gun was blown from her hands and across the room. Rowan was flung back against the wall and Maeve turned on him, leaving Aelin an opening.

Quicker than she had thought she could move, Aelin grabbed the ceremonial sword Rowan kept on his living room wall. A decorated soldier, Rowan had kept it when he moved from the military into the police force. Aelin had never been more grateful for that fact.

When she turned back, she saw Maeve dragging her claw slowly down Rowan’s chest. It wasn’t deep, but she saw Rowan’s grimace and his blood seep from the wounds.

That was when she realized that her parents and Sam hadn’t been killed with a knife. It had been Maeve’s magic slicing into them.

And she refused to see the same happen to Rowan.

Silently, Aelin moved behind Maeve, raising the sword to thrust it into her body.

And she froze.

Aelin strained and shook, but her muscles wouldn’t move an inch. Horror took root in her mind and soul even before she heard Maeve’s voice inside her head.

_Did you forget that I could do this, little Aelin?_

Only here eyes were her own and Aelin met Rowan’s gaze to find a mirrored look of despair had overtaken him. He strained against Maeve’s hold. “Damn you, let her go!”

Reaching over, Maeve petted a hand down Rowan’s chest, avoiding the blood that covered much of it and ignoring the growl he let loose. “Oh shhh, my love. I’ll let her go soon enough.” Humming to herself, Maeve ran one finger over the wounds she had inflicted upon him. When his blood coated her fingertip, she turned to Aelin.

“You know, I had considered taking Rowan for myself. Your first heartmate - Sam, was it? - wasn’t much to my taste, but this one? I would love to make him mine.” She ran that bloodied finger down Aelin’s cheek and her skin crawled at the feeling of his blood marking her.

Throwing every curse she knew at Maeve inside her head, she struggled against her bonds. Every piece of fire went into her rage and fueled her. Maeve’s control didn’t waver at all.

Circling around her, Maeve leaned in to whisper into Aelin’s ear. “But I thought of a better finale for him. And for you. I am going to have you slide that sword into his stomach. I want you to feel his blood pour over your hands, knowing that you’re the one ending his life. And I want it to be slow and painful, and I want him to die in your arms.”

The only sounds in the world were Maeve’s voice and the beat of Aelin’s own heart.

No.

No, no, no. She wouldn’t do that. _I won’t do that!_

_You won’t have a choice._

“And then… I’m going to walk out that door. I will leave you in your misery, with nothing to cling to but your dead lover’s body and the knowledge that you were the one who murdered him.”

Aelin’s eyes and heart burned as she met the gaze of the man she still hoped to save.

“Fireheart, don’t you dare.” His voice was low and rough and it only made her plea more certain.

_Take me instead._ Please, _let him go and kill me instead._

“That’s tempting. Very, very tempting, Aelin. But you’ve just sealed your fate.”

She tried to stop, screamed at her muscles to stop, to protest, to rebel. Aelin felt her body lunge forward and felt the resistance against her sword as it slid into Rowan’s body. Maeve didn’t let her stop until her hands met his skin and the screaming in her head deafened her.

Rowan held her gaze the whole time. She watched the pain fill his bright green eyes and she watched him shove it down to tell her, one last time, “I love you, Aelin. To whatever end.”

When Aelin sobbed, she knew she had control of her body back. Immediately, she let go of the sword, leaving it where it was as she braced Rowan’s shoulders as he collapsed against her. They fell to the ground, Rowan cradled in her arms as she screamed his name, over and over.

“I’ll check on you again in a few years, my darling.”

Maeve’s words barely registered, but Aelin roared at her, lashing out with her fire - only to have it quenched by darkness. The raven-haired bitch winked at her and disappeared through the door, leaving Aelin to her despair.

“Rowan. Rowan, please. Answer me, you damn buzzard, _please._ I’m _begging_ you.”

Aelin held him, half in her lap and with his face cradled in her bloody hands. He managed to open his eyes just a little as he murmured, “A queen shouldn’t beg, Ae.”

Another sob tore from her throat. “Don’t leave me, Rowan. I’ll do anything. I’ll marry you, please just stay with me.”

“To whatever end, fireheart… I didn’t want- want it to be this one, but I still…” He coughed, blood staining his lips and the sword cutting deeper into his torso. Frantically, Aelin slid one hand to the wound, putting pressure on it and digging to find the healing power that she _must_ have somewhere.

A large hand closed around hers. His fingers were weak but she stopped all the same. “I don’t want you to follow me, Aelin… N-not until you’ve lived a long life… and you’ve found happiness again.”

_Never._ “I will never be happy without you, Rowan. So you have to stay with me.”

“Fireheart…”

Aelin waited for his words, for his strength and his will. But as his eyes fluttered closed and his breath caught, she knew. Curling around him, Aelin listened. When his heartbeat stuttered and his breaths stopped, she broke.

Again. She faced this pain again.

And it broke her entirely.

***

Aelin never fully remembered what happened during the next few hours. She remembered the cops showing up, several of whom she knew. Remembered screaming incoherently and fighting against them. Anything to be taken in, to be taken away from that still body that no longer belonged to the man she loved.

She said nothing in her defense when she was convicted. Because she did kill Rowan. Her prints were on the blade and his blood was on her hands. And she deserved to be locked away, with the key lost to time.

When the bars closed on her and she was left alone in the dark, his name was the only one on her lips and his presence was the only yearning in her heart.

_I’ll join you soon, my love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that… don’t hate me?
> 
> BUT GOOD NEWS!!! THERE WILL BE AN ALTERNATE ENDING COMING SO STAY TUNED MY DOVES
> 
> Visit me and yell at me on tumblr - @myfeyrelady


	6. Alternate Ending 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, because I tormented you with chapter five, I'm giving you two alternate endings!

Once they had realized that Aelin was the unsub’s true target, they were able to narrow down the field of focus to the area surrounding their precinct. It made it easier to track the recent rise in crime - which spanned all the way from theft to assault to murder.

They definitely did _not_ tell Sargent Darrow about Aelin’s connection to the unsub. Not only would he take them off the case, he would technically have to be taken off the case as well, since he had been her uncle’s lover before he had been murdered.

So on they continued. They looked at every felon her father and uncle had ever put away, every tiny connection they might have to the victims, and especially anyone currently in her life.

Finally, their hard work paid off when Aelin dug into the Internal Affairs records.

Apparently her father had helped bust a gang of crooked cops and officials. They were part of an organization called the Valg and there had been four he had put away total. Three brothers - Orcus, Mantyx, and Erawan Malor - and Orcus’ wife, Maeve. Orcus had been a politician and Maeve had been a lawyer for his organization. The other two brothers had both been cops, in varying levels of the force.

Erawan had worked with her father and he was the reason they had been busted. Rhoe Galathynius had caught them on several charges and dug up enough evidence with his brother to put them in prison for a long time.

But it was the throwaway comment on their powers that caught Aelin’s attention. In one of the reports, Erawan was mentioned to have used his powers to calm and control one of their cons. One would think the government would keep better records of their employees’ powers but this had been several decades ago so the records were not very well maintained.

Armed with their best suspect group so far, Aelin and Rowan delved into their files. As the evidence piled up, both became more and more convinced that one or more of them were their unsub.

When they looked to see where they were now, they ran into a couple dead ends - literally. Orcus and Mantyx had both been killed in prison. One during a prison riot and one looked like he had been assassinated. Ironically, the suspected mastermind behind that was the third brother, Erawan. But he was another dead end since he had been locked up tight in solitary since then. Ten years’ worth of solitary.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks anyway, Nesryn.” Sighing, Aelin hung up, only to stare balefully at her phone.

“What’d she say?” Rowan pushed back from his own stack of paperwork and crossed his arms, all his attention focused on his partner.

Nesryn Khagan was a good friend of Aelin’s, one who also happened to be a high ranking officer in the same sector as the Morath Prison Facility where Erawan was being held. They had called her to confirm his presence and have her interrogate him in their place.

“He’s there and he’s firmly locked away. He hasn’t had any contact in or outside the prison walls other than the guards. Gods bless Nesryn, she even looked at the guards to see if any of them are crooked.”

Scraping her hands over her face, Aelin sighed again. It was a noise of bone-deep exhaustion. Neither of them had gotten any good sleep lately and she was constantly on edge expecting their mysterious villain to break in and do to her or Rowan what he had done to her parents and Sam.

Glancing around the precinct, Rowan caught her hand on the far side of their desks. Squeezing tight, he said, “Aelin, we’ve still got one more.”

“I know, we still need to look at Maeve. But there’s nothing in her file on her powers and we’ve hit a brick wall on these other three and I just…” She gripped his hand tighter before dropping it as one of the other detectives walked by.

“I’m losing hope, Rowan. And I didn’t have much to begin with.”

“Hey.” His voice was sharp and Aelin looked up to meet his bright green eyes, hard with determination. “We _will_ find whoever this is. And they will go to prison for the rest of their fucking lives.”

Aelin summoned a weak smile. “Yes, sir. So. Let’s look up our shark, shall we?”

Rowan pulled up Maeve Malor’s file and flipped right to the sentencing. Meanwhile, Aelin checked public records in case there was any trace of her outside of prison.

As it turned out, Maeve had only been sentenced for eight years in prison. She claimed innocence from her husband’s crimes and the circumstantial evidence could only pin her down for that much. Rowan’s search found that she had only served five years, getting out early on good behavior.

Maeve had been released long before their unsub had begun committing crimes. Which fit into their timeline perfectly, since she would have been practicing her magic in the meantime. When Aelin pulled her work and living records, her movements mirrored that of her own and their unsub’s.

Several hours later, Rowan and Aelin had cleared their desks of everything except Maeve’s records. Her history, her current movements, everything they needed to corner her. They didn’t reach out to her yet - that had to be a surprise if they didn’t want her to bolt. And she certainly had the resources to do so; she had gained back a decent chunk of the Malor finances and she had still managed to land a swanky job at a local firm that pulled in plenty of money.

Aelin was breathless when they finished putting it all together. “It’s her, Rowan. It was all her. The locations and the motivation, it all fits!”

He looked at her solemnly and it took her a moment to catch on. “I agree with you, fireheart. But we won’t be able to convince Darrow and the others. Nothing in her profile suggests any tendency towards violence; she’s been on the straight and narrow since she got out of prison and even before that, she was always on the legal side of their criminal business.”

“So we can’t sanction a full raid or even take any backup when we go arrest her.” Aelin’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion though Rowan could see the rage flicker in her eyes.

Giving her a curt nod, he said, “We’ll be cautious and we’ll be ready for her. Hopefully she’ll be cocky and she’ll attack us - that way we can take her in with no complaints from the brass.”

Rowan expected her to jump up and go after her now, but Aelin surprised him - though he didn’t know why. She was always more clever and mature than she first came off as.

“We’ll go home and rest tonight. We can strategize and then sleep, and in the morning, she’s ours.”

“You’ll be able to sleep tonight?” Rowan cracked his first smile of the day, albeit a wry one.

He got her to laugh though, and he would have suffered a thousand years to see the hope and happiness she shone with now. Winking at him, she said, “I’ll just break out my secret stash of sleeping pills.”

“You have a secret stash of drugs at my apartment?”

“I might share if you ask nicely.”

***

Rowan woke at the first creak of the wood floors.

He could still feel Aelin’s warmth beside him so he rolled silently off the bed, crouching down beside it. Reaching into his bedside drawer, he pulled out his gun, already loaded. Padding around to the other side of the bed, he nudged Aelin awake.

It took several tense seconds thanks to the sleeping pill she had indeed taken, but he covered her mouth as she woke and met her gaze.

She knew what was happening in an instant. Still somewhat shaky, she joined him on the side of the bed hidden from the bedroom door. Trained and ready the same way as Rowan, she soon had a gun of her own in her hands and nodded at her lover.

Moving in tandem, they took up next to the cracked door. It was then that they heard a low humming coming from the living room.

Aelin nodded and Rowan flung the door the rest of the way open while Aelin ducked down with her gun out.

Standing at the counter, pouring herself a glass of their wine, was Maeve Malor.

She met their entrance with her dark, glittering gaze and a raised eyebrow. “Is that any way to greet a guest?”

Rowan let Aelin talk, focusing entirely on summoning the wind and ice in his veins.

“Give me one good reason not to shoot you right now, Maeve.”

“Because if you do, I’ll have your dearest Rowan shoot himself in the skull.” Her voice was sweet and playful, even as Rowan felt his hand move without his permission.

Ever the good cop, Aelin didn’t take her eyes off her target. Not until Rowan said her name, low and strained. Flicking her eyes to him, she found his hand steady and his gun held to his head. His green eyes were filled with frustrated rage and it tore her apart, but she turned to face their enemy again.

A satisfied smile rested on Maeve’s face and she took a sip of the dark red wine. Savoring the taste of it for a moment in the tense silence, Maeve commanded the room.

“What do you want.” Aelin didn’t phrase it as a question. She kept her gun trained between Maeve’s eyes, but she didn’t shoot. She wanted to - oh gods did she want to - but she would never let Maeve hurt Rowan, by anyone’s hand.

“I always knew you were smart, little Aelin. Your father may have put me away, but he didn’t make sure I was gone for good. That came back to bite him - rather painfully, I must say.” Aelin snarled at her but it only made her laugh.

Maeve held all the power right now and they both knew it.

“You, though… you would make sure I was dead, wouldn’t you? You would kill me right now if it weren’t for your pitiful ties to this male.”

Ignoring her little speech, Aelin countered, “How did you know we were coming for you?”

Another sip and, “Darling, police stations really aren’t that secure. At any given time, I’m listening in on you and your endeavors from inside one of your fellow officers.”

Aelin’s blood ran cold. They hadn’t even considered… idiot. She was such a godsdamned idiot. She had _known_ what powers their unsub could use and she hadn’t even thought of this. She shot a look of apology at Rowan before lowering her gun.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his arm drop as well and the relief she felt almost crippled her. They were nowhere near out of the woods yet, but she couldn’t think when he held that gun to his own head.

Her eyes had just met Maeve’s again when she felt Rowan move behind her. Her gun was flung across the room in a second and his arm was wrapped around her neck, the cold metal of his gun pushing into her side.

Without taking her black eyes off of Aelin, Maeve sauntered across the room until she was less than a foot away.

“Those sleeping pills give you a much slower reaction time. I’d tell you to watch out for that, but I’ve grown tired of this cat-and-mouse game, Aelin. I want a new life, a new start. And I can’t have you follow me and ruin all of that. I’m also much smarter than your father, my dear.”

Aelin felt her fire battling against her skin but she couldn’t let it loose. Not when Maeve was close enough that she would hurt Rowan too.

Rowan.

“Let him live.” At her words, she felt Rowan begin to shake behind her, knew he was struggling as hard as he could against the acceptance she was showing. Aelin ignored it and her voice was strong as she glared at the woman who was still determined to take everything from her. “I won’t fight you, but please let Rowan live. He won’t go after you.”

Tilting her head, Maeve’s eyes slitted as she ran them up and down Rowan’s body. The feline way she moved set Aelin’s skin to crawling and she could feel something worse burning at the back of her mind.

“I might just take you up on that offer. Rowan Whitethorn.” She said his name as if she were savoring it, like the wine she had tasted and enjoyed. “He won’t need to hold to your promise, though. I’ll take him with me.”

Those words shattered through Aelin’s heart and were followed by a loud crack. She thought for a moment she could literally hear her heart break into a million pieces. But when she gasped, Aelin felt pain spiral through her side.

Rowan had shot her. _Maeve_ had shot her.

Aelin felt the blood begin to pour from her side and she knew. The only thing holding her up now was Rowan’s grip on her; without it she’d be bleeding out on the floor already.

She opened her mouth to speak, only to cough on the blood forcing its way into her throat.

“I suppose I could give you a last goodbye.”

A flick of her fingers as she walked back to the kitchen and Rowan was himself again. His gun thrown and forgotten, he caught Aelin, chanting her name over and over as he lowered her to the floor.

She felt his hands press to her side and she screamed, the pain finally breaking through to her mind as collapsed onto the wood.

“Fireheart, I’m so sorry. Fight it. Come on, please fight, fireheart.”

Rowan’s voice was hoarse and broken but the only thing she could hear were Maeve’s words. Mumbling through the pain, Aelin said, “Don’t… don’t go with her, Ro. Fight her. Don’t f-forget me…”

His voice was fierce. “Never. Aelin-”

“And now I’m bored again. Come on, pet, let’s go.”

Rowan cursed every bone in his body and the magic that would not rise to his call as his arms dropped the love of his life. As he stood and walked away, leaving her broken and bleeding behind him.

His heart shattered when he was far enough away that he couldn’t see her beautiful blue and gold eyes, now clouded by pain.

The last words he heard on her lips echoed in his mind even as the woman he hated with every fiber of his being dragged him along on her leash.

_To whatever end… Rowan…_

***

“A local Orynth PD detective, Aelin Galathynius, was found dead in her partner’s apartment early this morning. Reports suggest that she and her partner, Rowan Whitethorn, had been having an affair that ended badly.”

The reporter on the TV was clinical, detached and Rowan felt anything but. His eyes were glued to the screen, screaming inside his head at the finality of their words.

Found dead. Dead, dead, dead.

His fireheart.

Though his body no longer moved at his command, he felt the silverware he was holding shake with the force of his impotent rage.

The woman across from his smiled almost kindly.

“Hush, darling, you don’t need to pay attention to those morbid things. I’m here, you don’t have to worry about anything else.” Her words curled into his mind, spinning webs and fogging his memories.

When he looked at the woman before him, he didn’t see the dark roots or the artificial tint of colored lenses. He only saw what she wanted him to see. Aelin.

Setting down his knife, he reached out to catch her hand and bring it to his lips. “Of course, fireheart.”

And Rowan ignored the small stab of pain, deep in his gut, as he stared into the eyes of the woman he loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats, this alternate ending hurts JUST AS MUCH WHOOPS please continue for fluff lmao


	7. Alternate Ending 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the fluff!!!! First section until first *** is the same as chapter five.

Once they had realized that Aelin was the unsub’s true target, they were able to narrow down the field of focus to the area surrounding their precinct. It made it easier to track the recent rise in crime - which spanned all the way from theft to assault to murder.

They definitely did _not_ tell Sargent Darrow about Aelin’s connection to the unsub. Not only would he take them off the case, he would technically have to be taken off the case as well, since he had been her uncle’s lover before he had been murdered.

So on they continued. They looked at every felon her father and uncle had ever put away, every tiny connection they might have to the victims, and especially anyone currently in her life.

Finally, their hard work paid off when Aelin dug into the Internal Affairs records.

Apparently her father had helped bust a gang of crooked cops and officials. They were part of an organization called the Valg and there had been four he had put away total. Three brothers - Orcus, Mantyx, and Erawan Malor - and Orcus’ wife, Maeve. Orcus had been a politician and Maeve had been a lawyer for his organization. The other two brothers had both been cops, in varying levels of the force.

Erawan had worked with her father and he was the reason they had been busted. Rhoe Galathynius had caught them on several charges and dug up enough evidence with his brother to put them in prison for a long time.

But it was the throwaway comment on their powers that caught Aelin’s attention. In one of the reports, Erawan was mentioned to have used his powers to calm and control one of their cons. One would think the government would keep better records of their employees’ powers but this had been several decades ago so the records were not very well maintained.

Armed with their best suspect group so far, Aelin and Rowan delved into their files. As the evidence piled up, both became more and more convinced that one or more of them were their unsub.

When they looked to see where they were now, they ran into a couple dead ends - literally. Orcus and Mantyx had both been killed in prison. One during a prison riot and one looked like he had been assassinated. Ironically, the suspected mastermind behind that was the third brother, Erawan. But he was another dead end since he had been locked up tight in solitary since then. Ten years’ worth of solitary.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks anyway, Nesryn.” Sighing, Aelin hung up, only to stare balefully at her phone.

“What’d she say?” Rowan pushed back from his own stack of paperwork and crossed his arms, all his attention focused on his partner.

Nesryn Khagan was a good friend of Aelin’s, one who also happened to be a high ranking officer in the same sector as the Morath Prison Facility where Erawan was being held. They had called her to confirm his presence and have her interrogate him in their place.

“He’s there and he’s firmly locked away. He hasn’t had any contact in or outside the prison walls other than the guards. Gods bless Nesryn, she even looked at the guards to see if any of them are crooked.”

Scraping her hands over her face, Aelin sighed again. It was a noise of bone-deep exhaustion. Neither of them had gotten any good sleep lately and she was constantly on edge expecting their mysterious villain to break in and do to her or Rowan what he had done to her parents and Sam.

Glancing around the precinct, Rowan caught her hand on the far side of their desks. Squeezing tight, he said, “Aelin, we’ve still got one more.”

“I know, we still need to look at Maeve. But there’s nothing in her file on her powers and we’ve hit a brick wall on these other three and I just…” She gripped his hand tighter before dropping it as one of the other detectives walked by.

“I’m losing hope, Rowan. And I didn’t have much to begin with.”

“Hey.” His voice was sharp and Aelin looked up to meet his bright green eyes, hard with determination. “We _will_ find whoever this is. And they will go to prison for the rest of their fucking lives.”

Aelin summoned a weak smile. “Yes, sir. So. Let’s look up our shark, shall we?”

Rowan pulled up Maeve Malor’s file and flipped right to the sentencing. Meanwhile, Aelin checked public records in case there was any trace of her outside of prison.

As it turned out, Maeve had only been sentenced for eight years in prison. She claimed innocence from her husband’s crimes and the circumstantial evidence could only pin her down for that much. Rowan’s search found that she had only served five years, getting out early on good behavior.

Maeve had been released long before their unsub had begun committing crimes. Which fit into their timeline perfectly, since she would have been practicing her magic in the meantime. When Aelin pulled her work and living records, her movements mirrored that of her own and their unsub’s.

Several hours later, Rowan and Aelin had cleared their desks of everything except Maeve’s records. Her history, her current movements, everything they needed to corner her. They didn’t reach out to her yet - that had to be a surprise if they didn’t want her to bolt. And she certainly had the resources to do so; she had gained back a decent chunk of the Malor finances and she had still managed to land a swanky job at a local firm that pulled in plenty of money.

Aelin was breathless when they finished putting it all together. “It’s her, Rowan. It was all her. The locations and the motivation, it all fits!”

He looked at her solemnly and it took her a moment to catch on. “I agree with you, fireheart. But we won’t be able to convince Darrow and the others. Nothing in her profile suggests any tendency towards violence; she’s been on the straight and narrow since she got out of prison and even before that, she was always on the legal side of their criminal business.”

“So we can’t sanction a full raid or even take any backup when we go arrest her.” Aelin’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion though Rowan could see the rage flicker in her eyes.

Giving her a curt nod, he said, “We’ll be cautious and we’ll be ready for her. Hopefully she’ll be cocky and she’ll attack us - that way we can take her in with no complaints from the brass.”

Rowan expected her to jump up and go after her now, but Aelin surprised him - though he didn’t know why. She was always more clever and mature than she first came off as.

“We’ll go home and rest tonight. We can strategize and then sleep, and in the morning, she’s ours.”

“You’ll be able to sleep tonight?” Rowan cracked his first smile of the day, albeit a wry one.

He got her to laugh though, and he would have suffered a thousand years to see the hope and happiness she shone with now. Winking at him, she said, “I’ll just break out my secret stash of sleeping pills.”

“You have a secret stash of drugs at my apartment?”

“I might share if you ask nicely.”

***

The sleeping pills helped so much.

Aelin had avoided taking them in case they got another break in the case, but she was so glad she had taken them last night. She and Rowan were almost to Maeve’s house and she felt better than she had in months.

Reaching for his hand across the center console, Aelin twined their fingers together and brought them to her lips.

“Thank you, Rowan.”

His bright green eyes darted to hers and she read the same fierce determination in them that she felt herself at this moment. “We’ll end her today, fireheart.”

When his gaze fell back on the road, Aelin studied his profile. His strong jaw and the set of his lips. She had never loved him more than at this moment, when everything was about to change and he was steadfast at her side.

“I want to marry you, Rowan. No matter what happens today. Whether we catch her or not, whether she haunts me for the rest of my life. I want to marry you.” Her breath caught at the end but she meant every word. She wanted to claim this man as hers for now and always.

For a moment, his only response was to tighten his fingers around hers. This time, he was the one to bring their hands to his lips, and his voice was rough and full when he answered.

“Good.”

***

With one hand on her gun and the other raised, Aelin knocked on the ornate front door of a lavish house.

Stunningly beautiful, if a little old-fashioned, the house radiated the kind of money you only got from the wrong side of the law. Only seconds passed before the door was opened by someone Aelin could only describe as a butler.

Before Aelin could open her mouth or show her badge, he gestured them inside. “Ms. Malor will greet you in her office.”

Trading wary glances, Aelin and Rowan followed the man further into the house. When he reached another set of fancy doors, he knocked and waited.

After several long minutes, a cool voice beckoned and he opened the way into her den.

Maeve Malor didn’t spare them a single glance as they entered her territory. She continued writing at her desk, never pausing in her movements. Aelin refused to be the first to give in to the silence. Knowing that Rowan would keep his eyes on Meave, Aelin nonchalantly turned her back, choosing instead to study the bookshelves that lined the room.

The minutes ticked by as the stalemate blossomed. Until Maeve’s impatience got the best of her strategy.

“So, Aelin Galathynius. You found me at last.”

Aelin stiffened. She had expected some form of excuse or denial, not an outright confession. Relaxing her muscles, she reached out to stroke her fingers along the books. “Were you hiding?”

A beautiful laugh filled the room, beautiful and deadly as dark menace laced the words that she spoke. “Oh, Aelin, let’s not play games today. Not when you finally found the woman who murdered your entire family.”

Maeve crooned the last words as one would to a lover and Aelin had had enough. Spinning, she lashed out with her flames, pinning Maeve to her spot.

“Aelin-”

“She confessed, Rowan. We have every right to take her in now.”

Almost unconcerned, amusement flickered in Maeve’s eyes as they darted between them. Her low laugh pulled their attention back to her. “You were smart, little Aelin. If you had said yes, if you had married him, I would have done the same to him as I did to your precious Sam.”

Rage overtook Aelin and it took Rowan’s hold on her arm to keep her from rushing the raven-haired bitch.

Well, Rowan’s hold and the fact that her flames snuffed out in the same moment she froze.

Maeve’s laugh echoed in her mind - while she smirked at her from across the room. Her damn power. Well, Aelin had wanted to know how it worked and she was getting all that and more right now.

Understanding almost immediately, Rowan lashed out at Maeve. She sent talons of darkness at him but his wind and ice sliced through them to circle her throat. The stalemate now was decidedly more deadly than the one before.

Warily, Rowan flicked his eyes to his partner. Aelin’s blue eyes flashed, trying to tell him something-

“You can only control one person at a time.” The surprise registered in his voice and Maeve snarled, the first crack they had seen in her composure.

Armed with that knowledge, Rowan blasted his magic at her. He flung away every scrap of darkness she threw at him and he realized why she had resorted to puppets and sneak attacks. Maeve wasn’t that strong. Her magic was deadly and powerful, but she couldn’t wield it with the skill and precision he could with his own.

Throwing her hands out as if to physically fend off his attack, he could feel her seep into his mind. She blurred the edges of his consciousness and his attacks weakened. He fought against her as hard as her could and watched her struggle.

When Maeve’s eyes widened, he glanced at Aelin. She was still stuck in her spot but her eyes burned with a cold fire that he had never seen before.

Aelin was fighting her off. In their minds, in that space where Maeve held her captive, Aelin was burning away the darkness.

Screams erupted in the sudden silence.

He took in the distraught Maeve, waiting for another attack but none came. Collapsing to the ground, Maeve shuddered there and his attention was drawn elsewhere.

Aelin swayed, but her movements were her own. Rowan reached out to steady her and she graced him with a smile that shone brighter than the sun. “I pushed her out, Ro. She tried holding both of us and it stretched her thin enough that I could break her grip on me.”

She managed to get that much out before collapsing into one of the chairs in the room. When he moved to help her, she waved him away. “Make sure she’s restrained. I think- I think she’s down but be careful, Ro.” Her voice trembled a little while she spoke and he shot her a sharp glance. “Relax, buzzard, I’m just tired. She put up one hell of a fight in there.”

Maeve was indeed unconscious. Slipping his handcuffs from his belt, Rowan latched them around her wrists. The perks of working in their department were specialized cuffs that blocked magic. When he turned back to Aelin, he found her with a tape recorder in her hands and a feral smile gracing her face.

When she pressed the button, they had their evidence.

_“So, Aelin Galathynius. You found me at last.”_

***

The months had flown by and Aelin hadn’t slept this well since she was a child.

Maeve Malor’s subsequent arrest had been routine; they had followed procedure, been able to book her and get her case filed. Because of their evidence and her criminal record, they had denied bail and, best of all, her remaining brother-in-law was testifying against her. Aelin wasn’t entirely sure why, but his character reference was definitely not glowing.

And she had spent almost every second of these months with Rowan. Blissful, amazing months as she fully relaxed for the first time in years.

The second they had come home to his apartment after booking Maeve, Aelin went to his dresser. She’d pulled out that beautiful ring and held it to him again. This time, her tears were from joy.

Rowan had gotten down on one knee right then and there and she said yes. A thousand times yes, laughing and crying until he swept her into his arms spent the rest of that day and night worshipping her.

Aelin had never been happier.

But Rowan had been acting cagey lately. The past week or two, he had snuck out of bed at night periodically and been taking mysterious phone calls. She’d have thought he was cheating on her if she hadn’t known, deep in her bones, that Rowan would never do that. Still, she knew something was going on.

This morning in particular had been odd. He had left before she had even woken up, leaving a note on his pillow that said just said, “Nehemia is coming over. I love you, fireheart. -Rowan”

Irked since she had been planning on spending all day in bed with him, Aelin threw on a robe and settled in. She texted Nehemia but received nothing back. Finally, at almost ten in the morning, Aelin heard her knock.

When she opened the door, she found Nehemia and Lysandra both standing on her doorstep, shivering in the cold and snow. The women blew into the apartment, bringing several large bags with them.

Groaning, Aelin threw herself onto the couch, curling herself up against the cold still seeping in.. “Whatever surprise he’s planning, I want no part of it.”

Nehemia and Lys shared a glance before they set their bags down on the kitchen table. Lys plopped down at her feet and Nehemia perched on the coffee table in front of her, caging her in. “Even if you’ll like it?”

“Nope.”

“Even if it includes dressing up and being catered to?”

Silence greeted Nehemia’s lilting question for a minute before Aelin peeked out from where her head was buried in the cushions. Curiosity glimmered in her turquoise eyes and Nehemia smirked slightly in triumph.

“Did he get me a new dress?”

She hummed affirmatively and Aelin shifted until she was sitting. Lys was doing her level best not to snicker but it was rather difficult since Aelin was still pouting.

“We have some ground rules, though. One, no questions. We won’t answer any and you’ll just get frustrated. Two, no pouting or whining. You’re going to enjoy today.”

Aelin pouted one last time before giving up in the face of her best friends and their gifts. Lysandra shifted, reaching into one of the bags. “To that end, we’re starting today off with a party!” So saying, she dragged out a bottle of Aelin’s favorite wine.

Stealing the expensive bottle, Aelin poured some for them all and they spent the next couple hours slowly getting dressed and dolled up. The dress she was given to wear was a gorgeous red number, satin smooth and hot as hell, with black lace designs stitched along the length of it. It was perfect and Aelin loved it. She couldn’t wait to show Rowan what it looked like on her.

Lys did her makeup in bold golds and Nehemia weaved her long hair into a coronet of braids. By the time they were all finished, Aelin wasn’t sure she had ever looked better and she was dying to see her fiance and find out the reason he had done all of this. She would have suspected it was a birthday surprise if her birthday wasn’t months away.

When they rolled up to her favorite - and also one of the most expensive - restaurants in town, Aelin laughed. Kitted out in the most gorgeous suit she had ever seen, Rowan was standing out in the cold, his face and ears tipped in red.

The care had barely stopped at the valet stand before she was out and flinging herself into his arms. He caught her with warm arms and his own low laugh. Pulling back, she kissed him senseless for a few seconds. They were both considerably warmer when they broke apart and the girls had made gagging noises before moving inside.

“Now are you going to tell me what this is all about?” Aelin asked as she arched an eyebrow at him.

Rowan just smiled mysteriously and said, “You’ll find out later tonight.” When she pouted at him, he pulled back, his eyes dragging down the length of her dress and her legs and back up. When his eyes met hers, heat flared once again, this time in her core.

“I look forward to tonight then.”

Their late lunch turned out to be a gathering of all of their closest friends. Each was dressed to the nines and they had reserved the largest party room all to themselves. Which was perfect, since they were loud and obnoxious and Aelin couldn’t remember laughing so hard for so long.

When dessert had been cleared and the group was sectioning off to whisper and plot, Rowan pulled Aelin aside. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her sweetly, with all the love he felt for her, and she melted into his arms.

“I’ve got someone special to take you to your next destination, fireheart.”

Aelin was about to ask when Rowan stepped to the side, revealing Weylan Darrow. Her eyes widened in surprise and her voice was a bit unsteady as she asked, “S-sargent Darrow? Rowan, he-”

“If you thought you two were hiding any of this” - he gestured generally to their close proximity - “remotely well, you’re an idiot.” Despite his words, his gruff voice held amusement and a touch of fondness.

“You’ll understand soon, fireheart. Please just go with him?” Rowan’s eyes were bright with laughter and love and he brought her hand up to kiss the tips of her fingers.

Aelin let her own eyes narrow, silently promising him retribution if this trick warranted it. But she followed Darrow out of the restaurant and into his car. It was mostly a silent drive, until his lack of an explanation drove Aelin mad.

“So are you going to tell me what this is about, Weylan?” Her tone was combative and sharp and she knew it, couldn’t help but antagonize the man that had pushed her away since their loved ones had died over ten years ago.

Sighing, he sent her an indulgent look that let her know that he knew exactly what she was doing.

“They were only ever proud of you. You know that right?”

Aelin sucked in a sharp breath as she felt tears prick her eyes. Not what she had expected at all. And not something she could shoot off her mouth about either. “They were?”

Pausing to park the car, Darrow got out and walked around to open her door. It was then that she realized where they had driven. The old Orynth palace. It had belonged to the Terrasen royalty in ages past, restored and kept beautiful by the government as a beautiful reminder of their history. It had been her family that had lived there long ago, before the monarchy had eroded and her legacy became more tied to police chiefs than kings.

“They would have been proud of anything you had chosen for your life, but they were especially proud that you chose to help people.” Darrow’s words were soft and his smile was kind.

He was still shocked when Aelin threw her arms around him. She held him tightly for several moments as the snow fell, this almost uncle whom she hadn’t realized she had missed. When she pulled back, she wiped at the makeup under her eyes before she let him lead her inside.

Her efforts were in vain because she started crying again as she saw the room he had brought her to.

On the smaller size for the giant palace, the room was clearly designed as a powder room. As Aelin entered, she found several of her closest friends - Nehemia and Lysandra, as well as Elide, Nesryn, and Manon. All in matching crimson dresses. And in the center of the room, hung on a stand, was her mother’s wedding dress.

Aelin was frozen, with tears running freely down her cheeks as her friends waited, holding back as Darrow squeezed the hand that was clutching onto his arm. When she looked at him, at how he was holding her hand, Aelin put it all together.

Weylan was here to walk her down the aisle. To get married.

“I’m sorry this is the second wedding that they’ve missed. I know I’m a poor substitute for Rhoe, but… if you’d let me, I would be honored to stand in for him.”

Aelin couldn’t help the laugh that spilled out of her when she tears in his eyes as well. This stiff old man who had been part of her family her whole life, whether she had liked it or not. She hugged him again, without the words to tell him how overwhelmed she was in this moment and how thankful she was that he was there.

When she let go, he fled and she was enveloped by her friends. They laughed at her, wiped her eyes, and generally comforted her for several long minutes as she processed what was really going on.

“I’ll kill him.” He was throwing her a godsdamned surprise _wedding._

“Oh shut up and put your dress on. We need to fix your makeup, too, you crybaby.”

Aelin snarled at Manon but did as she bade. She sniffed back quite a few tears while she put on her mother’s dress. It fit her perfectly. She hadn’t been able to wear it when she had married Sam - her wounds were still too fresh. But now… now she was grateful for the piece of her mother that she could carry on this day.

Before she knew how the time had passed, her hair and makeup were fixed and Aelin was again on Weylan’s arm. This time, they stood in front of tall, carved doors. Alone in the hall, Aelin breathed deep, calming herself before she took these steps.

When the doors opened, the room was dark. The light from their hall spilled onto the back pews, empty and bare. Aelin looked to Weylan in confusion, only to find his laughing quietly.

“It’s your job to light it.” And he gestured to a row of candles on the floor along the edges of the aisle.

Aelin laughed loudly and joyfully and with a gesture she ran flames along the candles. She watched as they lit up the room and as she touched each chandelier and lamp with her magic. When he was done, the room was bright and warm and at the altar was-

Rowan. And her eyes couldn’t stray from him.

She barely noticed as Weylan tugged her down the aisle, taking in the sight of her soon-to-be husband. He was dressed in a suit colored in silver and a deep, dark emerald; the colors of Terrasen proudly displayed. His tattoo was thrown into sharp relief in the candlelight and she traced every inch of it and him with her gaze.

But time and again, during that long walk, her eyes were drawn to his. Aelin felt her heart fill and overflow with the love that he had for her and the love she bore for him.

When they reached the base of the altar, Aelin stopped. She kissed Weylan on the cheek and murmured her thanks before ascending the steps alone. Aelin was her own to give and she would do that freely to the man who awaited her.

Reaching out when she was almost to him, Rowan linked their hands together and dragged her the rest of the way into a tight hug. Aelin threw her arms around his neck and willed her tears away, threading her fingers through his silver hair. They whole of the old temple was quiet, as if the Old Gods themselves were holding their breath.

“You sneaky bastard. I’m the one who’s supposed to come up with plans like this.”

It was meant to be a whisper but Aelin could hear her friends cackling in the pews. As he pulled back, Rowan gave her a crooked grin before brushing a quick kiss onto her lips. “I have to surprise you sometimes, too,” he whispered against her lips.

When they turned to the priest, both of their hands were held by the other, intertwined and never to be parted again. He spoke the binding words, hallowing their marriage before the Old Gods and the law. Their hands were tied by ribbons of silver and green and then it was time for their vows.

Rowan went first and he never took his eyes off of her. “Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. The love of my life and my fireheart. There are many vows I could make to you and I would lay the world at your feet if you asked. To you I vow my life and my heart, the rest of my years and each day and night among them. I give you my love and my happiness, my anger and my pain. I am yours to do with what you will and I will spend every moment of my life making sure that you are cherished and loved and free. To whatever end.”

Aelin let her tears fall and she smiled as she saw some escape him as well. Tugging her closer, Rowan brought their tied hands to his lips and it was her turn.

She hadn’t been given advance notice of this but thankfully, she already knew and had memorized the vows she wanted to say to him.

“Rowan Whitethorn. I give to you the vows my mother gave to my father.

You cannot possess me for I belong to myself.   
But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give.  
You cannot command me, for I am a free person.  
But I shall serve you in those ways you require,  
And the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.  
I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night,  
And the eyes into which I smile in the morning.  
I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup.  
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care.  
I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine.  
I shall not slander you, nor you me.  
I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel we shall do so in  
Private and tell no strangers our grievances.  
This is my wedding vow to you  
This is the marriage of equals.

To whatever end, Ro. I love you so much.”

They didn’t wait for the priest to finish saying “husband and wife” before they were kissing. Had it not been for their tied hands, she would be in his arms and Rowan resented it for a moment. But then he lost himself in the kiss too and the only thing he knew was Aelin.

They broke apart to loud cheers and a flood of guests. Trust their friends and family not to pay attention to tradition; they all piled on and Rowan and Aelin were enveloped in a giant hug. As Aelin pressed close to her husband, she forgot Maeve and her pain and she remembered her parents and her uncle and Sam. And she knew that this was the beginning of a very happy life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE FORGIVE ME NOW??? I LOVE YOU ALL
> 
> Aelin’s wedding vows are an old Celtic wedding vow that I absolutely adore

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the angst! It's only going to get worse!!!
> 
> Feel free to visit me on tumblr (@myfeyrelady) and send me requests!


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